Hi From Mathieu

[Leiopython]

Hi G=guys,
 
My name is Mathieu and I'm a French Canadian from Montreal. For the last 20 years I have kept a lot of snakes, scorpions and tarantulas, but for a question of insurance I had to get rid of them, so now I think that I have discovered a new passion about fish and aquarium. I bought a little fluval spec for my nephew and I'm the one taking care of it with him, and I really liked it. 
 
So, now I'm thinking about getting a 37 gallon aquarium full equip that I've seen in a pet shop that only sell fish. If some of you have the time to help me. I would like to know which species and how much of each I could keep in a 37 gallon. I would like to have fish on the top, the middle and the bottom of the thank, I like small to medium fish like, sword tailed, Molly, tetra neon, guppy, beta, corydoras, So if you have some idea or can tell me what you keep it would be really appreciated.
 
Mathieu

 

[TallTree01]

Hi Matthieu,
While your 37 gallon ets sorted out have a look at e link in my sig that say ' go here for help '. It'll tell you about cycling, fish and much other things. Your fish sound like they'll all work together peacefully except for the betta. These are big fin nippers depending on species and I wouldn't keep them with guppies, mollies or even swordtails tbh. If you left the betta out then youll be able to have a healthy happy community,
As for numbers,
9-10 neon tetras,
3 swordtails/ mollies ( either will do. Try to get 1 male 2 female )
7-8 cories.

 

[Ninjouzata]

Instead of the swordtails/mollies could he do a gourami? Just a suggestion

 

[ncguppy830]

 

[Blondielovesfish]

to the forum Mathieu
 
I agree with TallTree on the stocking, but, instead of one male, two female mollies/swordtails, I recommend that you get all males. The reason being that mollies/swordtails are live bearers and will breed almost every month. The same goes for Guppies.
 
Instead of the Neon Tetras, I recommend that you get Cardinal Tetras instead because the Neons aren't as hardy as they used to be (due to inbreeding) and the Cardinals are hardier (IMO) and they're also bigger.
 
For a 37 gallon tank, if you were to get the pygmy variety of Corys then you could have more of them as they're smaller than the other species. You could easily have 10 with your other stocking.
 
If you wanted, you could add a centre piece fish like a Honey Gourami or Dwarf Gourami to the tank.
 
Your stocking could look like this...
 
9x Cardinal Tetras
3x mollies/swordtails - OR 5 guppies
10x Pygmy Corys
1x Honey/Dwarf Gourami
 
What fish does your nephew have in his/your fluval spec?
We'd love to see some pictures

 

[Leiopython]

Thanks guy for your answers and comments.
 
To be honnest I was thinking of 2-3 Corys and I would have liked to have some Zebra Danio, love these ones, when I was a kid I had a really small aquarium with these and I still love them. As for the swordtails is it a big problem if they reproduce in the thank, at worst some of them will survive and if they're are too much of them that survive, I think that the pet store should want them if I give them. I don't know, it's just that 3 males without any females, I have read that the males are fighting together... I also have a question about salt, I have read that swordtails and mollys needed salt, but I don't think that the other fish will tolerate that. Can you help me with this also. 
 
I was thinking like 
 
3 Swordtails by the way is it true that the red are more agressive?
6 Zebra Danio
3 Corys
9 Cardinal Tetras
 
Thank you very much for your answers guys, I will read a lot before getting the thank and I will cycle it before putting any fish in there. I'm sure I will have a lot of questions still to ask and I'm really glad to see that I will have some nice and kind people to help me here

 
Mathieu
 
Edit : I was forgetting the spec from my nephew, We have put in there 1 betta and 3 cherry barbs, for the moments everyone seems pretty happy. I have put 3 live plants in there and it makes a great setting. I will post pictures soon.

 

[TallTree01]

Moli
 

Thanks guy for your answers and comments.
 
To be honnest I was thinking of 2-3 Corys Cories are schooling fish and need 6+ to go well.
and I would have liked to have some Zebra Danio, love these ones, when I was a kid I had a really small aquarium with these and I still love them. These are fish that prefer temperature at 20- celcius. I wouldn't recommend for tropical.  
As for the swordtails is it a big problem if they reproduce in the thank, at worst some of them will survive and if they're are too much of them that survive, I think that the pet store should want them if I give them. In my experience less than 2-3 babies survive per birth. It is not much of an issue. The majority get eaten. 
I don't know, it's just that 3 males without any females, I have read that the males are fighting together... This happens sometimes.
 
I also have a question about salt, I have read that swordtails and mollys needed salt, but I don't think that the other fish will tolerate that. Can you help me with this also.  They don't need salt but mollies do better in salt.
 
I was thinking like 
 
3 Swordtails by the way is it true that the red are more agressive? There's no difference whatsoever between red and non-red.
6 Zebra Danio
3 Corys
9 Cardinal Tetras
 
Thank you very much for your answers guys, I will read a lot before getting the thank and I will cycle it before putting any fish in there. I'm sure I will have a lot of questions still to ask and I'm really glad to see that I will have some nice and kind people to help me here

 
Mathieu
 
Edit : I was forgetting the spec from my nephew, We have put in there 1 betta and 3 cherry barbs, for the moments everyone seems pretty happy. I have put 3 live plants in there and it makes a great setting. I will post pictures soon.
With the betta I would not do the swords/ mollies. I would get some more cherry barbs as they're schooling fish and then add some cories and maybe a small pleco.

 

[Leiopython]

Thank you very much TallTree,
 
So at least I will put 6 Corys. For the Zebra I didn't know. So I will forget about them. For the salt then I will stay with my first Idea and get Swordtails, 1 male and 2 female.
 
My tank will be 23 inches tall, so I was thinking adding more fish in the middle but if I look at this, with 10 cardinals + 6 Corys + 3 Swordtails I'm already over the rule that says 1 inches of fish per gallon. So I think I will go with this.
 
The betta and cherry barb are in a small fluval spec. I will not mixed them with anything else, they will stay there.
 
I have read a lot about cycling the tank without fish and it seems pretty clear to me except for 2 things. When it's says tap water, that means the water from my house that I will put in a plastic container and then wait 24 hours for the chlorine to dissolve ? That's what everyone I know is doing when making a change of water, just want to be sure. And the other thing is about the last change of water when the ammonia and nitrite get both at 0. How much percentage of water we need to change, It's not clear to me.
 
Thanks again for all your help, it's really appreciated.
 
Mathieu

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Edit : I was forgetting the spec from my nephew, We have put in there 1 betta and 3 cherry barbs, for the moments everyone seems pretty happy. I have put 3 live plants in there and it makes a great setting. I will post pictures soon.
 
With the betta I would not do the swords/ mollies. I would get some more cherry barbs as they're schooling fish and then add some cories and maybe a small pleco.

 
I would not recommend following TallTree's advice on the above post (sorry TT ). It is only a 5 gallon tank and the Cherry Barbs and the Betta are already over stocking the tank.
I recommend that you rehome the Cherry barbs or add them to your 37 gallon. You could then have the Betta on its own
 
 

I have read a lot about cycling the tank without fish and it seems pretty clear to me except for 2 things. When it's says tap water, that means the water from my house that I will put in a plastic container and then wait 24 hours for the chlorine to dissolve ? That's what everyone I know is doing when making a change of water, just want to be sure. And the other thing is about the last change of water when the ammonia and nitrite get both at 0. How much percentage of water we need to change, It's not clear to me.

 
Tap water is the water that comes from the tap (faucet) at your home (or where ever you source your water from).
 
Generally people add a dechlorinater like Seacem Prime or tapsafe, these get rid of the chlorine without having to wait 24 hours. 
 
When the tank is ready to add fish once the cycle has finished, a 100% water change is best .

 

[TallTree01]

Sorry for confusion, I meant that the betta and barbs were in his 37 gallon. BLF is right. THe cherries are overstocking the tank.
Again, sorry for confusion.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Sorry for confusion, I meant that the betta and barbs were in his 37 gallon. BLF is right. THe cherries are overstocking the tank.

Again, sorry for confusion.

 
its fine.
'Twas just a correction

 

[Leiopython]

Yes I know that they are overstocking, but the guy at the pet store seems to know what he was talking about when I bought the betta and the barbs, he as one fluval spec as a demonstrator that have the same fish and in this case the barbs are adult and everything seems fine. So, I have decided to try the same here, and for the moment everything seems fine, the barbs are growing, the betta seems to like them, they don't bother him. So I will see and if this needs to be change I will do it.
 
Right now I'm still in the process of choosing which fish I would like, I have read a lot since a couple of days, that I am now confused. I absolutely want a trio of swordtails, but for the other fish, I was now looking at the rummy nose tetra or some rasbora. I still have a question, for what I have read, the tetras needs an acid water like 5,0 - 7,0 ph but the swordtails it's more alkaline 7,0 - 8,0 ph. Those that means that it's not possible to keep them together.
 
Thanks again for your help.
 
Mathieu

 

[SamB]

As you can see at the end there, their pH ranges match. Furthermore, many fish are not quite as sensitive to pH as you might think.. these fish will do fine together
 
I like rasboras personally.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Just a statement on mollys.  Mollys do not need salt, nor do they do better with 'salt'.  What they need is hard water.  They do best when the TDS are medium to high, as opposed to low.  Soft water will leave mollys vulnerable to disease.  But, hard water will keep them thriving.  It doesn't need to be 'salt' per se, just mineral content.

 

[Leiopython]

Ohh!! That's is great news lol
 
I'd really think that these species mix together will be really nice to look at. I think that I will go with 3 swordtails, 10 rummy nose tetra or rasbora (still hesitating)and 8 pygmy cory.
 
Thanks for your answers guys, It's really appreciated.
 
Mathieu